Beginner fingerpicking patterns

1. Should a beginner start with fingerstyle?
2. How many fingerpicking patterns are there?

Should a beginner start with fingerstyle?

Yes, it's reasonable to start with fingerstyle. If you are completely new to the guitar then you'll have several other things to work on as well like fretting-hand technique, posture, basic theory like note names and chord shapes, etc.

How many fingerpicking patterns are there?

The 24 Fingerpicking Patterns

That being said, there are four fingers that we'll focus on: the thumb, index, middle and pinky. We're going to apply this to the following two-chord progression: C–G/B. Take a look at the diagram below.